Device for swiveling and dipping headlights of automotive vehicles



March 12, 929. J. G. THQMAS 1,705,421

DEVICE FOR SWIVELING AND DIPPING HEADLIGHTS OF AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES Filed Jan. 1926 l'i 'emiar' ya 77266 woman? War;

Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES emsenonen THOMAS, or PERTH, wnsri-in-nnnsrnatm, AnsTRALIA.

. DEVICE FOR SWIVELIING .AIND IDI'PIPING nnnnnien'rs or noroino'rivn van rennet Application filed. J'anuary 2, 1926. Serial No. 78,934.

Hitherto in the driving of'automotive vehicles during night time, much trouble and danger has been experienced inasmuch as when it is desired to turn a corner, the latter remains in darkness until same has been actually turned. Further, when two vehicles are proceeding in opposite directions, much trouble and danger is also experienced by the blinding glare and dazzle caused by the headlights. This invention .has been devised to overcome such troubles and: dangers by providing means whereby eitherof said headlights is swiveled on a vertical axis to move in agreement withjthe movement of the steering gear in order to face and illuminate a dark corner as the vehicle approaches the same. The said headlights are also moved vertically to be dippedby a manually operative lever so as tobvercome the glare and dazzle 4 aforesaid without j impairing the lighting efficiency of said headlights. There is alsoprovided means whereby the headlights may-bedisconnected at will from'the steeringgear. r

The inventionessentially resides in the use of a bracket suitably secured on the "body frame of the vehicle, which bracket freelycarries a hollow rod, on the upper end of which a casingis' keyed. A seat to receive the headlight is pivoted on the upper end of said rod, so that the casing and rod as a unit are adapted to swivel on a vertical axis in agreement with the movements of the steering gear. This movement is effected by means of an arm secured to saidrod-and -operated by pull wire anchored bya clamp to the horizontal rod which connects the companion arms of the front wheels of the vehicle. The seat may be rocked on a horizontal axisby a tached to a manually operative lever pivoted f on a casing secured to the steering pillar or other anchorageconvenient to the driver.

:In order that the invention may be fully understood,' the same will be described with the aid of the attached drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the bracket: and associated members. Fig. 2 is a rear elevationof the same. In said views the rod is shown broken. Fig.- 3 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the left hand headlight in its swiveled position in agreementspring controlled arm through a pulliwireat with the turning of the car around a lett hand corner. .Fig. 4 is aside elevationof the manually operative lever and associated partsforeffecting the dipping movement of the headlights andin which a part of the operative lever is shown as broken away. Fig. 5

is a side elev ation of a part of the steering pillar-of a vehicle having the casing of the headlight dipping lever ni'onnted thereon, said casingbeing shown in section. Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the headlight sup Referring to said'drawingsya is a tubular bracket suitably secured to the body frame of the vehicle. A tubular rod a extends'through saidtubular bracket. A spiral springa surrounds a portion of said tubular 'rod and has out of its ends engaging against the bracket a, the duty of said spring a being to return i the rod a to its'norm al position. On the .up-

per end of said rod a is keyeda casing Z) having a lateral extension andran opening inthe upper portion of said extension. A curved seat 6 adapted to support a headlight a has a dependingp ortion extending through-said opening and mounted to rock on a pivotal; ex- 'tending transversely of said lateral extension. The .dependinggportion of the'seat 5 has a lateralarm Z)? which extends intothe'easing Y) on the pivot a and of which the opposite ends engage the depending portion of the seatb' and the casing b, respectively, tends 'toreturn the arm 6 to normal position. A pull when having one end'connected to the arm 5 is threaded through the, tubular rod a and at its ei'ation oi the right hand and left handheadlights of the vehicle are employed, the'le'ft hand wire; as 0, only being shown in the drawings.

The manually operative levere is fitted with a spring controlled pawl f to engage the 85. above the rod (2 A coiled spring bi, mounted and g for unitary movement. Said arm 7 is slidably and rotatably mounted on the tubular rod a and retained in operative position relatively to the arm ,9 by the said upstanding stem 9 and the spiral spring 9". To said arm 9 is connected the hinged link 9 to which is attached the pull wire j which passes over a pulley 7' carried on the chassis. This wire is anchored by clamp 3' to the horizontal bar 70 which connects the existing companion arms 70 of the front wheels mof the vehicle. This pull wire 7' enables the left hand tubular rod a andthereto attached members to swivel in agreement with the movements of the steering gear, it being apparent that each headlight is. fitted with its own operative members.

The object of the arm being slidably and rotatably mounted on the rod a is to permit it to be manually placed to the rear of thestem g and to render the rod and its headlight inoperative during daytime, that is, to disconnect the rod from the steering 7 gear.

The return movement of the headlight is limited by a lug n formed on the bracket a and adapted to engage witha similar lug p formed on the casing Z), the horizontal focus of the headlight being rendered adjustable by the set screw p carried bysaid lug p and abutting against the lug n.

The bracket a is made with a projectional lug a" to which a horizontal stay bar 7 is secured to insure rigidity with the companion or right hand'bracket.

The use and operation of the invention will it now be describedin relation to a left hand headlight. 7

Assuming that it is desired to turn a corner of a street or road on the left handside, the

driver, through the steering wheel, turns the vehicle in such direction, which action, by the agency of the steering gear and thereto connected bar is, will cause the left hand pull wire to operate and swing the tubular rod a consequently causing the casing b and its headlight a to move in a horizontal plane and'face the corner intended to be turned by the vehicle, thereby illuminating the roadway at such corner and prior to the vehicle having actually turned the same.

It is obvious that as soon as the vehicle resumes its straight course, the headlight will also resume its normal position in agreement with the return movement of the steering i gear. and urged by the spring a hen it is desired to dip the headlights 1 upon the approach of a vehicle proceeding in an opposite direction, the driver raises the manual lever e on the steering'pillar 6 and, through the pull wire 0 and the arm b frontwardly deflects the seat 6 and thereon headlight a to the position seen in Fig. 6, the spring controlled pawl f retaining the lever e in the dipped position at the discretion of the driver.

Upon the release of the said pawl f, the manual lever e is depressed, thus relaxing the pull wire a and allowing the seat 12 and thereon headlight a to resume its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, being urged thereto by the spring 6 What I claim as my. invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a headlight structure for automotive vehicles, the combination of abracket adapted to be attached to the vehicle, a sleeve roe tatably mounted to swivel in said bracket about a vertical axis, a headlightmounted on the upper end of said sleeve to rotate therewith and also to tilt on ahorizontal axis, the

headlight having an operating arm fixed thereto, a spring acting on said arm to normally hold the headlight in apredetermined position on its horizontal axis, an arm fast to the lower end of the sleeve, a second arm slidably and rotatably mounted on said sleeve adjacent said last arm, cooperative means for detachably connecting the arms for movement in unison, a spring for holding the second arm toward the fast arm with said cooperative means engaging and to permit the second arm to be disengaged at will from the fast arm, means connecting the rotatable arm to the steering mechanism of the vehicle, a flexible member extending axially through the sleeve and connected to said operating arm for tilting the headlight on its horizontal axis and against the actionof its spring, and a manually operative lever connected to said flexible member for actuating the same and the operating arm.

2. Adirigible headlight including a support, a shaft journaled therein, a headlight connected .to the'upper end of said shaft, an arm fast to the lowerend of said shaft, a sec ond arm mounted slidably and rotatably upon the lower end of the shaft and above and adjacent to the fast arm, a spring for holding second arm slidably and rotatably mounted upon the lower end of said shaft above and adjacent to the fast arm and capable of movefor unitary movement, and whereby the secment toward and from the fast arm, a spring 0nd arm may be disengaged for independent I for holding the second arm toward the fast action.

arm, said second arm being provided with an In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set 5 aperture therethrough, and apin projecting my hand. i p I I from the up er face of the fast arm and norv mally engaging the aperture to lock the arms JAMES GEORGE THOMAS 

